Briefly: In the wake of the success of Gravity, co-writer Jonás Cuarón has a new deal, and it will take him to the depths of the ocean rather than the outer reaches of Earth’s atmosphere.

Cuarón will script The Lost City, a film Warner Bros. has in development about Atlantis. It’s a project the studio once wanted Peter Jackson tot tackle, but given how well Gravity has done, the younger Cuarón seems like a good choice. Not much is known about what story the film will tell, other than that it will be “a new take on the mythical underwater kingdom.” Akiva Goldsman is one of the producers, with Torry Tunnell and Joby Harold from Safehouse Pictures.

In addition, Cuarón has his own directorial debut in the prepping stages: the thriller Desierto, set on the Mexican border, will star Gael Garcia Bernal and has Alfonso and Carlos Cuarón producing. [Variety]

It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven long years since Alfonso Cuarón released his last movie, the dystopian sci-fi Children of Men. But at least he’s made his new film worth the wait, if early Venice Film Festival reviews are anything to go by.

Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as two astronauts — she a newbie, he a veteran. While on a mission, a bit of floating debris knocks into their shuttle, sending them floating into outer space and struggling to survive.

Reactions from an early test screening last year were mostly quite positive, and now that the film’s complete the praise is even more glowing. Hit the jump to see what the critics are saying.

One step forward. After Angelina Jolie passed twice on the role, Alfonso Cuarón decided to offer the lead role in his space-set thriller Gravity to Natalie Portman. Now the actress is reportedly in active negotiations to take the role of a woman who is trying to negotiate her way back to safety after she’s stranded in space during a routine repair mission. Read More »

Who will play the female lead opposite Robert Downey, Jr., in Alfonso Cuarón‘s upcoming film Gravity? Scarlett Johansson has been the name attached for several months, but last week there was a rumor that Blake Lively was gunning for the role. At the time the news seemed insubstantial, but now there is reason to believe that Lively has a better shot at the role than we’d previously thought. Read More »

So I have a bit of bad news for you guys: It looks as if the Wanted sequel will not be happening after all. Angelina Jolie pulled out of the project to pursue another film.

That is where the good news comes in: Jolie left Wanted 2 to star in Alfonso Cuarón’s space thriller titled Gravity. Okay, let me give you guys a minute to catch your breath and calm down, I know this is all coming a bit fast — yes, Cuarón, the master filmmaker behind Children of Men, the best movie in the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as well as the classic Y tu mamá también, will be directing a space thriller, written by his 28-year-old son, Jonás (The Shock Doctrine).What’s it about?

According to Vulture, Jolie will play the sole surviving human member of a space mission, desperately trying to return home to Earth. She will be the only actor on screen for most of the movie. Oh, and did I mention that Jolie isn’t alone on the ship? Jolie will also be playing her daughter.